Digital Television

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what support will be given to pensioners and people on low incomes in Wales with the costs involved to upgrade to digital television.

Peter Hain: The Government is committed to ensuring that the interests of the most vulnerable consumers are protected during digital switchover and has proposed that the BBC help establish and fund appropriate support. We will announce details of the scope of this assistance in due course.
	As part of the process of detailed scheme design, a trial is planned for later this year in Bolton. The aim of the trial is to assess the effectiveness of various forms of assistance. Leaflets, telephone helplines and support from carers and social workers will be among the methods being piloted.

Ministerial Duties

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2005, Official Report, column 615W, on ministerial duties, whether he spent a total of more or less than 24 hours performing ministerial functions as the Secretary of State for Wales in the week commencing 9th May.

Peter Hain: As I made clear in my answer of 25 May, I spend as much time as is required in fulfilling my role as Secretary of State for Wales. In any week this will represent considerably more than 24 hours, including the week of 9 May.

Special Advisers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list (a) the special advisers in his Department, (b) their specific areas of expertise and (c) the total cost of employing them in the latest year for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: As Secretary of State for Wales I have two special advisers, both of whom provide assistance across all of the Department's policy areas.
	They are paid on national salary scales, which apply, to all Government Departments; the basic scale currently ranges from 37,366 to 50,148.

Work-related Stress

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Department in each of the last three years; how much compensation was paid to employees in each year; how many work days were lost due to work-related stress in each year; at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress; at what cost; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: Detailed sick absence statistics are derived from medical and self-certificates, which are completed by staff or their GPs. While certain illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, general debility and even stress may be indicated on certificates, it is not possible to determine levels of work related stress. Consequently, we have no details on the number of working days lost due to work-related stress or the cost to the Department.
	Since the establishment of this Department in July 1999, there have been no compensation payments to employees for work-related stress.
	The Wales Office staff have available to them the resources of the National Assembly, and since June 2003, of the Department for Constitutional Affairs in tackling stress. These include a stress at work policy and a manager's toolkit to ensure that the policy is used effectively and at appropriate times, a stress helpline as part of the internal occupational welfare provision and a range of courses for managers and employees on managing stress in the workplace. All these new initiatives are based on best practice and on the Stress Management Standards issued by the Health and Safety Executive last year.
	The Department offers flexible working patterns, enabling staff to adopt more effective working patterns to better balance their work and home life.

Parliamentary Business

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  if he will list Government bills subject to a Programme Motion where each clause was not debated (a) in Standing Committee, (b) in Committee of the Whole House and (c) at Report stage as a result of insufficient time in each of the last five sessions for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will list Private Members' bills where a Division took place on Second Reading and where the Bill subsequently did not receive Royal Assent in each Session since 1975;
	(3)  if he will list Select Committee reports which have been debated on the Floor of the House in each Session since 1976;
	(4)  on how many occasions in each parliamentary Session from 1976 to 2004 (a) the House of Lords passed amendments to (i) Private Members' bills and (ii) Government bills against the advice of the Government, (b) such amendments were (A) accepted by the Government in the House of Commons and (B) reversed in the House of Commons, (c) the reversal was accepted by the House of Lords and (d) the House of Lords insisted on its amendments;
	(5)  if he will list (a) Government bills and (b) private Members' bills where the Committee stage was taken on the Floor of the House in each session since 1976;
	(6)  if he will list (a) Government bills and (b) private Members' bills where all stages were taken in one sitting in each session since 1976;
	(7)  what the average number of days of consideration for Government bills in (a) the House of Commons and (b) the House of Lords was in each parliamentary session since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The information requested is a matter of public record. I refer the hon. Member to the House of Commons Library.

First-time Buyers

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many first-time buyers there have been in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many of these he estimates were returners, who had previously been home owners.

Yvette Cooper: Estimates of the numbers of first-time buyers for the UK for each of the past 12 months are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 June 2004 33,600 
			 July 2004 36,300 
			 August 2004 31,100 
			 September 2004 28,500 
			 October 2004 29,000 
			 November 2004 24,900 
			 December 2004 24,100 
			 January 2005 18,200 
			 February 2005 18,100 
			 March 2005 22,600 
			 April 2005 25,100 
			 May 2005 25,600 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures exclude any first-time buyers who bought a property without the need for a mortgage.
	2. The source of the data, the Survey of Mortgage Lenders, does not differentiate between genuine first-time buyers (those who have never been owner occupiers) and other first-time buyers (who have previously been owner occupiers).
	However, estimates from the most recent Survey of English Housing data suggest that, currently, as many as 26 per cent. of so-called first-time buyers are in fact returning owner occupiers.
	Source:
	Council of Mortgage Lenders/Survey of Mortgage Lenders

High Hedges

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if his Department will place in the Vote Office copies of the document published in June entitled High Hedges Complaints: Prevention and Cure, ISBN 1851127879.

Yvette Cooper: Copies of the document entitled High Hedges Complaints: Prevention and Cure have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, and it is freely available on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website at www.odpm.gov.uk/treesandhedges. We are happy to provide copies to hon. Members on request and I am arranging for one to be sent to the hon. Member for North Cornwall. Against this background, we see no need to place copies in the Vote Office.

Performance Criteria (County Councils)

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what representations he has received from county councils on the number of performance criteria to which they are subject; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the number of performance criteria to which county councils are subject; and what plans he has to reduce them.

Phil Woolas: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has received a letter from Hampshire county council setting out the performance measures which the council reports against.
	We are considering the requirements for the number of targets, indicators and standards for local government as part of our developing work on the performance framework, as set out in the document Securing better outcomes: developing a new performance framework published in March 2005. This work is being taken forward in the context of our 10 year vision for local government as set out in The future of local government: Developing a 10 year vision which was published in July 2004.

Social Housing

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on social housing needs in Chorley.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 4 July 2005
	Between 2001 and 2005 the Housing Corporation via the Approved Development Programme spent over 3.7 million in Chorley on the provision of new affordable housing for both rent and low cost home ownership. A total of 53 new social rented homes were completed in Chorley over the same period through grant provided via the Housing Corporation. Chorley borough council spent approximately 0.3 million on improving its own stock.
	We announced on 23 June 2005 that following evidence of strong tenant support Chorley is in the 2005 Housing transfer programme. This will ensure the remaining non decent council homes will be made decent by the 2010 deadline.

Graduate Employment

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the proportion of graduates in jobs for which a degree was not an advertised requirement one year after completion of their studies for each year between 1994 and 2004.

Bill Rammell: We do not collect the information at the level of detail requested. The available information covers first degree graduates who were in employment six months after graduation. The earliest data relates to graduates in the academic year 2002/03. Respondents were asked if they would have been able to get the job they were doing without the qualification they obtained.
	Of first degree graduates, known to be in employment and who responded to the question, 39 per cent. qualifying in 2002/03 and 37 per cent. qualifying in 2003/04 responded that they could have obtained their job without their degree qualification. Figures and percentages are given in the following table.
	
		Response by first degree qualifiers(1)(2) in employment six months after graduation to the question: 'Would you have been able to obtain the job you are doing without your recently obtained qualification?' 2002/03 and 2003/04
		
			  2002/03 2003/04 
			 Response Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 No, the qualification was a formal requirement 33,410 29 36,865 31 
			 No, the qualification was expected 9,610 8 10,275 9 
			 Possibly, but the qualification gave me an advantage 23,250 21 24,350 21 
			 Yes 44,050 39 43,835 37 
			 Do not know 2,985 3 3,080 3 
			 Total 113,305 100 118,415 100 
			 Question not answered 32,210  31,750  
			 Total employed 145,515  150,160  
		
	
	(1) Figures cover home and EU full-time and part-time first degree graduates from UK HE institutions.
	(2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5, so constituent parts may not sum to totals.
	Source:
	Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA))
	The Department also commissioned a survey of 1995 graduates, tracking graduate careers 3 per cent. years post-graduation, which asks about how the skills gained at university have since been put to use. For this cohort it is estimated that 65 per cent. of employed graduatessix months after leavingare in jobs using their degree skills, and this rises to 70 per cent. after one year, and to nearly 80 per cent. within three and a half years 1 . This research is currently being updated tracking the careers of a cohort of 1999 graduates up to four years after leaving universitythis will be published in the autumn.
	In addition, projections of occupational demand show that of the 13.5 million total jobs expected to be filled by 2012, 50 per cent.that is 6.8 millionare in occupations most likely to demand graduates 2 .
	1 Data from Elias, P et al (1999) Moving On: graduate careers three years after graduation. CSU/DfEE.
	2 Based on data from Wilson, R et al (2004) Working Futures: new projections of occupational employment by sector and region, 20022012 IER, Warwick.

Cormorants

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department's policy on cormorant control following its first winter of operation.

Jim Knight: The cormorant model produced by the Central Science Laboratory is available on the Defra website:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/vertebrates/piscivorous.htmcormorants
	and provides predictions of the effect of different licensing strategies on winter cormorant numbers in England. Information on the actual number of birds removed under license, and any change in winter cormorant numbers as a result of the policy are not yet available. The model and its predictions will be reviewed and updated as new information becomes available.
	The effects of the new procedures are currently being reviewed by the Department in the light of experience gained from last season. It is expected that the review will be completed by early September.

Departmental Purchasing

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the companies from which her Department has purchased goods and services of a total value above 1 million in each of the last three years; and how much was spent in respect of each company.

Richard Caborn: DCMS has only contracted with one company regarding goods and services in excess of 1 million in the last three years and that company is our Information Technology provider, Atos Origin (previously Schlumberger Sema). The amounts are as follows:
	
		
			   
			  Amount 
		
		
			 200203 3,639,562 
			 200304 3,922,710 
			 200405 5,244,474

Railways

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his plans are for the improvement of rail (a) infrastructure and (b) services in Hampshire in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Improvements to the rail infrastructure and service in Hampshire will be considered as part of the ongoing business of the operators. In addition, Network Rail are undertaking a Route Utilisation Strategy and the DfT/SRA are working on franchise replacements for Greater Western and South Western that contain services operating in Hampshire.

Robin Hood Airport

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will instruct relevant agencies to create a motorway link to the Robin Hood Airport, Doncaster.

Stephen Ladyman: Any new road would be for Doncaster metropolitan borough council, the local highway authority to promote. They are currently looking into the need for a new link road and may wish to discuss their findings with my officials later this year.

Drug Imports

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the percentage of imported illegal drugs that have been intercepted by Customs and Excise in each of the past 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: The methodologies used to estimate the amounts of illegal drugs imported do not currently enable us to identify year on year changes.
	The National Criminal Intelligence Service has previously published estimates of the amounts of heroin and cocaine smuggled into the UK annually. It is likely that imports of heroin and cocaine during the period you refer to fell within the range of these estimates: 2535 tonnes of heroin and 3545 tonnes of cocaine. No similar estimates have been produced for cannabis imports.
	Reports on the prevalence of the use of illegal drugs during this period suggests that, since 1998, quantities of heroin imported have probably remained broadly stable and amounts of cocaine imported have increased.
	In the case of cannabis, research into the UK cannabis market suggests that levels of imports have remained broadly stable or even declined as cultivation within the UK has increased.
	The following table gives details of HM Revenue and Customs seizures of drugs over the 10 years up to 200304, the last complete year for which figures are available.
	
		
			  Kgs 
			 Financial year Heroin Cocaine Other Class A Ecstasy Cannabis 
		
		
			 200304 1,626 20,727 116 1,245 57,617 
			 200203 2,070 8,767 44 668 59,034 
			 200102 1,489 6,075 113 1,330 67,061 
			 200001 2,043 7,420 305 1,060 41,776 
			 19992000 2,707 2,525 1,900 800 77,853 
			 199899 594 3,540 1,542 (7) 62,028 
			 199798 1,821 2,356 1,548 (7) 80,380 
			 199697 664 1,273 1,604 (7) 77,350 
			 199596 1,249 752 1,016 (7) 49,811 
			 199495 906 1,391 994 (7) 63,677 
		
	
	(7) Not separately recorded

Historic Environment

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the Government's policy is on sustaining the historic environment, with particular reference to policy on organisations which work to support the built heritage through (a) grant aid, (b) tax concessions and (c) conditional exemption and acceptance in lieu;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on (a) the introduction of Historic Properties Maintenance Relief for listed Grade 1 and 2 star buildings open to the public and (b) extension to listed buildings of VAT relief for the costs of repairs.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 12 July 2005
	The Government takes its responsibilities to the built heritage very seriously, and for many years successive governments have been making funds available, both directly and through the tax system, to assist with the care, repair and maintenance of historic buildings.
	Treasury officials meet their Department for Culture, Media and Sport counterparts regularly to discuss a wide range of issues and the Government are aware of the concerns of the historic environment sector. All taxes are kept under constant review and any changes are considered by the Chancellor as part of the Budget process.

Mortgage Endowment Policies

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set out the criteria against which the relevant regulatory authorities make judgments on allegations of the mis-selling of mortgage endowment policies.

Ivan Lewis: The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is an independent body that adjudicates consumer complaints against FSA authorized firms. It does not have a fixed set of criteria to use when determining whether a financial advisor has mis-sold a product. Rather, the FOS considers what is fair and reasonable to all parties, having regard to the individual circumstances of the case, the law, and any regulatory rules or advice in place at the time.
	The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) is the statutory compensation fund of last resort, which can provide compensation to eligible claimants where the investment firm responsible for the liability is itself unable to do so (usually because it has ceased to exist or is insolvent). With mortgage endowment claims, as with other mis-selling claims, FSCS looks to see whether there has been a breach of obligations giving rise to a civil liability for actual financial loss.

Mortgage Endowment Policies

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what Government support is available to financial advisers threatened with legal action for the alleged mis-selling of mortgage endowment policies.

Ivan Lewis: The Government does not provide support to financial advisors threatened with legal action for the alleged mis-selling of mortgage endowment policies. However, the Financial Services Authority requires all authorised firms to hold sufficient Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time equivalent staff are employed in each office of the Valuation Office Agency.

Dawn Primarolo: The following table shows the number of staff in each location of each Valuation Office Group. These figures exclude staff employed in the District Valuer Business Stream, Chief Executive's Office and other specialist offices.
	This report was run as at 1 April 2005.
	
		
			 Group Office Total 
			 VOA   
		
		
			 Birmingham Birmingham 103.22 
			  Coventry 52.76 
			 Birmingham total  155.98 
			
			 East Anglia Colchester 53.24 
			  Chelmsford 53.84 
			  Ipswich 42.31 
			  Norwich 52.47 
			 East Anglia total  201.87 
			
			 East Midlands Derby 60.09 
			  Leicester 51.78 
			  Lincoln 40.47 
			  Northampton 46.76 
			  Nottingham 66.21 
			 East Midlands total  265.32 
			
			 Leeds Halifax 37.57 
			  Harrogate 33.51 
			  Leeds 106.19 
			  York 35.26 
			 Leeds total  212.53 
			
			 Liverpool Chester 31.24 
			  Crewe 31.00 
			  Liverpool 81.58 
			 Liverpool total  143.82 
			
			 London-City City London 50.75 
			  Gloucester 48.67 
			  Taunton 1.00 
			  Tower Hamlets 19.98 
			 London-City total  120.40 
			
			 London-North Barking 48.44 
			  Enfield 67.22 
			  Harrow 68.39 
			 London-North total  184.05 
			
			 London-South Bromley 58.08 
			  Lambeth 46.35 
			  Wimbledon 61.39 
			 London-South total  165.83 
			
			 London-Westminster Westminster 88.25 
			 London-Westminster total  88.25 
			
			 Manchester Manchester 142.43 
			  Stockport 47.08 
			 Manchester total  189.51 
			
			 Newcastle Alnwick 17.96 
			  Durham 36.86 
			  Middlesbrough 33.26 
			  Newcastle 75.81 
			 Newcastle total  163.89 
			 North Wales Bangor 27.70 
			  Wrexham 44.99 
			 North Wales total  72.68 
			
			 North West Carlisle 21.26 
			  Lancaster 35.30 
			  Preston 59.47 
			  Ulverston 24.57 
			 North West total  140.59 
			
			 Reading Aylesbury 39.78 
			  Guildford 33.95 
			  Oxford 35.66 
			  Reigate 37.16 
			  Reading 50.09 
			 Reading total  196.65 
			
			 Sheffield Grimsby 24.49 
			  Hull 40.11 
			  Sheffield 70.57 
			 Sheffield total  135.16 
			
			 South East Chatham 5.00 
			  Eastbourne 38.36 
			  Folkestone 42.42 
			  Worthing 50.01 
			 South East total  178.69 
			
			 South Wales Cardiff 54.94 
			  Carmarthen 29.74 
			  Merthyr Tydfil 24.11 
			  Newport 30.99 
			  Swansea 30.08 
			 South Wales total  169.85 
			
			 South West Barnstaple 7.00 
			  Bournemouth 46.72 
			  Dorchester 8.44 
			  Exeter 56.07 
			  St. Austell 36.70 
			  Taunton 34.35 
			 South West total  189.28 
			
			 St. Albans Bedford 39.84 
			  Cambridge 36.12 
			  Peterborough 20.15 
			  St. Albans 51.79 
			 St. Albans total  147.91 
			
			 Wessex Basingstoke 35.97 
			  Isle of Wight 2.81 
			  Southampton 77.35 
			 Wessex total  116.14 
			
			 Western Bristol 55.07 
			  Gloucester 36.08 
			  Swindon 36.51 
			 Western total  127.66 
			
			 West Midlands Kidderminster 26.93 
			  Shrewsbury 29.80 
			  Stoke-on-Trent 60.30 
			  Worcester 35.05 
			  Wolverhampton 45.80 
			 West Midlands total  197.87 
			
			 Grand total  3,563.93

Devolved Government

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent assessment he has made of the prospects for restoring devolved Government in Northern Ireland.

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of devolved Government in the Province.

Peter Hain: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for Wirral, South (Ben Chapman), Congleton (Ann Winterton) and Glasgow, South (Mr. Harris).

Aircraft Carriers

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the French Government in connection with the Royal Navy's two aircraft carriers.

Adam Ingram: My hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and the other Defence Ministers routinely meet with their French opposite numbers and the United Kingdom's Future Aircraft Carrier programme has frequently been discussed in that context.

Maritime Forces

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) Royal Navy and (b) Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels which have been given the reduced support status referred to in paragraph 2.9 of the National Audit Office report on military readiness.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 7 July 2005
	The process of designating ships to receive the reduced level of support referred to by the National Audit Office enables the Royal Navy to maintain its ability to mount a medium scale operation at short notice and maximise its ability to undertake priority peacetime tasks. The Royal Navy ships placed on reduced support status are as follows:
	HMS Invincible
	HMS Ark Royal
	HMS Albion
	HMS Cardiff
	HMS Exeter
	HMS Liverpool
	HMS Cumberland
	HMS Grafton
	HMS Marlborough
	HMS Monmouth
	HMS Richmond
	HMS St. Albans
	HMS Sutherland
	HMS Atherstone
	HMS Brecon
	HMS Cottesmore
	HMS Dulverton
	HMS Middleton
	HMS Pembroke
	HMS Penzance
	HMS Ramsey
	HMS Shoreham
	HMS Walney
	HMS Leeds Castle.
	No RFA ships are on reduced support status.

Parliamentary Questions

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what procedures his Department has in place to (a) monitor and (b) ensure the fulfilment of commitments made by Ministers to write to hon. Members in reply to parliamentary questions; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether his Department has a set time period after which it considers commitments made by Ministers to write to hon. Members in reply to parliamentary questions to have lapsed; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what guidelines his Department has in place with regard to following up commitments made by Ministers to write to hon. Members in reply to parliamentary questions; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Defence Ministers strive to answer all parliamentary questions within the timescales set by Parliament. The Ministry of Defence's parliamentary branch monitors the progress of all parliamentary questions tabled to Defence Ministers. Every effort is made to use I will write responses sparingly and to follow them up as soon as possible.
	The Ministry of Defence follows the Cabinet Office guidance on answering parliamentary questions and guidance from the Office of the Leader of the House of Commons on the handling of I will write responses. Where, regrettably, responses remained outstanding when the House was dissolved for the General Election at the end of the last Parliament, the parliamentary question was considered to have lapsed. It is open to the Member concerned to re-table the question.

Regimental Mergers/Uniforms

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2005, Official Report, columns 15689W, on regimental uniforms, 
	(1)  what the annual tax credit is; whether it varies with rank; and what the average cost of commissioning (a) Service uniform, (b) Blues and (c) Mess dress were, excluding the Foot Guards and Highland Regiments, in the last year for which figures were available;
	(2)  when he expects the next increase in army officers' outfit allowance to be made.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence does not calculate the average cost of uniform because this is a private transaction between an officer and their tailor. Nevertheless, the officers outfit allowance is awarded on first commissioning to offset this expenditure.
	There are no current plans to increase the officers outfit allowance, although consideration will be given to adjusting the allowance in the light of changes to the organisation of the infantry as part of the Future Infantry Structure.
	An annual tax credit is awarded to all officers to assist with the cost of maintaining, repairing and, when necessary, replacing uniform. The annual rate for all dismounted male officers below the rank of Coloneland therefore all officers serving with an infantry regimentis 589.29, against which an officer receives income tax relief.

Limitation Acts

Stephen Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the provisions of the Limitation Acts to permit claims from those who have suffered from historic physical and sexual abuse.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	Under the current law the provisions governing claims for trespass against the person mean that a claim for child abuse must be brought within six years of the date on which the cause of action arose, although this period will not start to run until the child reaches the age of majority. Under the proposals in the Law Commission's 2001 report Limitation of Actions, a claim in relation to child abuse would have to be brought within a period of three years from the date on which a claimant knew (or ought reasonably to have known) the facts giving rise to the cause of action, the identity of the defendant, and that any injury, loss or damage was significant. The court would have a discretion to disapply this limitation period if it considered that it would be unjust not to allow the claim to proceed. In July 2002, the Government announced their acceptance in principle of the Law Commission's recommendations subject to further consideration of certain aspects. Legislation will be introduced to implement those recommendations which are accepted when an opportunity arises.

Mother and Baby Units (Prisons)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many places have been available in mother and baby units in prisons in England and Wales in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many pregnant female offenders have applied for their children to remain with them in prison after birth in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many babies have been born to women in prison for non-violent offences in each year since 1997;
	(4)  how many babies have been born to women in prison in each year since 1997; and how many remained with their mothers in prison in each year.

Fiona Mactaggart: The number of places available in prison mother and baby units in England and Wales in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	199768
	199868
	199968
	200068
	200168
	200268
	200368
	2004102
	200584
	The remainder of the data requested is currently neither routinely, or centrally available. However, the numbers of babies born to women in prison and applications for a place on a mother and baby unit is being collated nationally from 1 April 2005, on a quarterly retrospective basis. Data obtained in 2005 shows that, in 2004, 114 women gave birth while serving a prison sentence. All pregnant prisoners who give birth to a baby whilst serving a prison sentence do so in a local hospital.

Murder Rate

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of (i) murder and (ii) manslaughter in England and Wales in each year since 1975.

Fiona Mactaggart: Statistics on persons charged are not centrally collected.
	The available information from the Home Office Court Proceedings database is contained in the table. Statistics on court proceedings for 2004 will be published in the autumn.
	
		Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for certain offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861(16), England and Wales 1975 to 2003
		
			  Murder Manslaughter(17)(18) 
			  Total proceeded against Total found guilty Total proceeded against Total found guilty 
		
		
			 1975 406 107 677 758 
			 1976 470 104 634 779 
			 1977 333 115 599 679 
			 1978 419 105 331 524 
			 1979 473 137 265 471 
			 1980 472 169 319 485 
			 1981 442 126 297 449 
			 1982 410 184 302 495 
			 1983 412 132 254 447 
			 1984 434 156 277 410 
			 1985 483 173 283 484 
			 1986 515 179 268 449 
			 1987 496 166 290 501 
			 1988 550 231 393 555 
			 1989 506 189 421 637 
			 1990 484 180 435 520 
			 1991 584 201 397 565 
			 1992 609 182 354 579 
			 1993 598 211 379 503 
			 1994 526 192 317 496 
			 1995 591 214 349 514 
			 1996 629 257 381 529 
			 1997 529 275 433 541 
			 1998 622 256 400 549 
			 1999 625 252 422 484 
			 2000 617 261 451 505 
			 2001 807 285 448 565 
			 2002 713 324 425 619 
			 2003 719 277 437 561 
		
	
	(16) These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(17) Covers: manslaughter, infanticide, child destruction, causing death by dangerous driving, diminished responsibility and causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs.
	(18) Found guilty figures may include those prosecutions for murder that were reduced to manslaughter.

Probation Service

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vacancies there were in each probation area on 31 March of each year between 2001 and 2005, broken down by grade.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested was not collected by the Probation Service until the implementation of the quarterly workforce information report during the financial year 200304 and therefore, we are unable to respond to the request for the years 2001 to 2003.
	The information for 2004 and 2005 is given in the table.
	
		The number of vacancies(23)(24) in the National Probation Service of England and Wales 2004 and 2005.
		
			  31 March 2004 
			  Senior probation staff Probation officers Probation Service officers Trainee probation officers All other staff 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 1.0 16.3 31.8 3.0 40.8 
			 Bedfordshire 2.0 3.4 4.0 0.0 1.5 
			 Cambridgeshire 0.5 3.0 1.0 0.0 2.1 
			 Cheshire 0.0 4.5 0.0 0.0 5.0 
			 Cumbria 1.0 3.6 5.4 0.0 4.5 
			 Derbyshire 0.0 4.5 2.6 0.0 1.6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2.5 7.8 13.6 1.0 13.5 
			 Dorset 0.6 7.4 8.1 1.0 2.3 
			 Durham 1.0 0.0 0.5 5.0 2.1 
			 Essex 0.7 5.8 14.9 2.0 5.6 
			 Gloucestershire 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Hampshire 1.0 14.3 17.4 0.0 3.0 
			 Hertfordshire 1.2 5.9 3.4 2.0 1.8 
			 Humberside 0.0 0.4 4.3 0.0 7.8 
			 Kent 3.2 0.9 30.9 9.0 30.3 
			 Lancashire 0.0 6.3 0.0 0.0 8.0 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 0.7 4.5 12.6 0.0 4.7 
			 Lincolnshire 0.2 5.0 3.4 1.0 10.8 
			 London(25) 19.0 27.0 0.0 0.0 39.0 
			 Greater Manchester(25) 9.0 31.0 17.0 0.0 113.7 
			 Merseyside 1.0 0.1 7.0 0.0 21.8 
			 Norfolk 0.2 3.4 5.8 0.0 3.3 
			 Northamptonshire 1.0 5.0 6.0 0.0 7.3 
			 Northumbria 0.0 4.2 1.0 0.0 8.0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0.0 0.0 4.6 0.0 9.1 
			 Staffordshire 1.0 6.4 4.5 0.0 3.2 
			 Suffolk 0.0 0.5 3.2 0.0 1.6 
			 Surrey 2.9 0.0 0.0 2.0 2.1 
			 Sussex 1.9 9.2 9.9 6.0 3.5 
			 Teesside 2.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 10.1 
			 Thames Valley 0.5 11.6 0.0 0.0 1.8 
			 Warwickshire 1.9 2.0 2.7 0.0 1.6 
			 West Mercia 3.4 5.0 6.9 0.0 5.7 
			 West Midlands 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Wiltshire 1.0 1.5 3.6 0.0 8.5 
			 North Yorkshire 1.0 6.5 0.0 0.0 6.3 
			 South Yorkshire 0.0 4.4 9.8 1.0 5.5 
			 West Yorkshire 10.1 22.0 29.3 0.0 17.1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2.0 1.4 4.2 0.0 0.0 
			 Gwent 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 North Wales 1.6 3.2 0.0 0.0 2.9 
			 South Wales 4.6 7.1 9.2 0.0 7.1 
			 Total 75.9 229.9 250.9 29.0 424.7 
		
	
	
		
			  31 March 2005 
			  Senior probation staff Probation officers Probation Service officers Trainee probation officers All other staff 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 4.0 23.0 24.0 0.0 16.7 
			 Bedfordshire 0.5 1.6 1.0 0.0 12.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 1.6 6.9 9.6 0.0 0.2 
			 Cheshire 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.6 
			 Cumbria 1.0 1.2 3.0 0.0 1.3 
			 Derbyshire 0.2 4.5 1.5 0.0 3.0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0.6 4.0 2.1 0.0 8.6 
			 Dorset 0.0 0.0 5.9 0.0 3.4 
			 Durham 1.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 2.0 
			 Essex 0.5 0.0 1.8 0.0 4.5 
			 Gloucestershire 0.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 2.9 
			 Hampshire 0.0 0.0 7.0 0.0 7.5 
			 Hertfordshire 2.0 4.6 7.5 2.0 0.0 
			 Humberside 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Kent 3.0 5.5 3.0 0.0 13.6 
			 Lancashire 0.0 0.0 11.6 0.0 11.0 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 1.0 7.6 6.7 1.0 4.5 
			 Lincolnshire 0.0 0.0 1.5 0.0 2.5 
			 London(25)  
			 Greater Manchester(25)  
			 Merseyside 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Norfolk 0.0 6.0 2.0 0.0 5.3 
			 Northamptonshire 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.0 
			 Northumbria 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Nottinghamshire 0.0 0.0 9.7 0.0 3.1 
			 Staffordshire 0.0 4.0 6.0 0.0 10.4 
			 Suffolk 3.0 2.6 1.9 1.0 2.5 
			 Surrey 2.5 3.0 7.0 0.0 6.0 
			 Sussex 2.1 10.0 5.4 0.0 2.5 
			 Teesside 1.0 0.0 2.6 0.0 6.2 
			 Thames Valley 3.5 21.2 11.5 0.0 16.2 
			 Warwickshire 1.2 0.0 1.8 0.0 1.5 
			 West Mercia 1.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 8.5 
			 West Midlands 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 Wiltshire 2.0 4.0 1.6 0.0 3.0 
			 North Yorkshire 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 South Yorkshire 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 
			 West Yorkshire 3.7 13.0 20.0 1.0 14.5 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3.5 1.4 0.4 0.0 1.0 
			 Gwent 1.0 2.0 8.4 0.0 0.5 
			 North Wales 0.0 0.4 3.5 0.0 1.3 
			 South Wales 0.0 0.0 12.0 0.0 11.5 
			 Total 40.9 129.7 182.0 6.0 198.3 
		
	
	(23) Figures shown in wte
	(24) At the end of 2004, the NPS changed the way in which it collected vacancy data, consequently, the information for March 2004 shows the vacancies within a notional complement of staff and those for March 2005 show vacancies as being posts that Areas are actively recruiting into.
	(25) The information for March 2005 is not currently available for these probation areas.

Sentencing Guidelines Council

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ask the Sentencing Guidelines Council to (a) create aggravating factors, (b) lengthen jail sentences and (c) increase fines for assaults against public sector workers; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 27 June 2005
	The Government made a commitment to ensuring tougher sentences for those involved in attacks on public sector workers. The Sentencing Guidelines Council, which was established by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, has a remit to issue sentencing guidelines for the range of criminal offences, which courts must take into account.
	The Council issued a guideline entitled 'SeriousnessOverarching Principles' on 16 December last year. It outlined a number of aggravating factors that would indicate a higher than usual level of culpability on the part of the offender (such as vulnerability of the victim), or a greater than usual degree of harm caused by the offence. One aggravating factor set out in the guideline is that
	the offence is committed against those working in the public sector or providing a service to the public.
	The Sentencing Advisory Panel is currently preparing a public consultation paper on sentencing for assaults and other offences against the person. It will consider the most common offences, aggravating or mitigating factors, and the degree to which such factors should impact on sentence. The Panel will report to the Council, which will, in due course, produce a guideline.

Violent Crime Reduction Bill

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were used in making the decision not to include measures to create aggravating factors for assaults against public sector workers in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 21 June 2005
	The Government are committed to ensuring tougher sentences for those involved in attacks on public sector workers. But we are not convinced that further legislation is necessary to achieve this. The Sentencing Guidelines Council, which was established by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, has a remit to issue sentencing guidelines, which courts must take into account. Sentencing guidelines in respect of an offence or category of offences must include criteria for determining the seriousness of the offence or offences. The council issued a guideline on 'seriousness' at the end of last year; this included aggravating factors applicable to offences generally such as the vulnerability of the victim. One aggravating factor is that the offence is committed against those working in the public sector or providing a service to the public. The Sentencing Advisory Panel is currently preparing a public consultation paper on sentencing for assaults and other offences against the person. It will consider the most common offences, aggravating or mitigating factors, and the degree to which such factors should impact on sentence. The panel will report to the council, which will, in due course, produce a guideline.

Departmental Advertising

David Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much the Department spent on advertising in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: Since It was set up in June 2003 my Department has conducted three media advertising campaigns:
	a regional poster campaign on buses to promote recruitment to the lay magistracy
	radio and press adverts to target court fine defaulters (under the title Operation Payback)
	press adverts to promote postal voting fraud prevention.
	The expenditure is itemised in the following table:
	
		
			  Project Expenditure on advertising () 
		
		
			 2003 Operation Payback (Phase 1) 230,000 
			  Magistrate recruitment 342,000 
			 2004 Operation Payback (Phase 2) 292,000 
			  Magistrate recruitment 102,000 
			
			 2005 Postal voting 185,270

Legal Aid

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much money was allocated to (a) criminal legal aid and (b) civil legal aid in England in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Funding for legal aid is not allocated separately to England. The Legal Services Commission provides funding to England and Wales. However, spending in England and Wales on the Criminal Defence Service (CDS) and the Community Legal Service (CLS) during 200304 and 200405 was as follows:
	
		
			million 
			  CLS CDS 
		
		
			 200405 845 1,192 
			 200304 898 1,179

Legal Aid

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to reform legal aid spending in England and Wales following the recent review of the legal aid process; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to my written statement of 5 July 2005, Official Report, column 4WS, announcing the publication of A Fairer Deal for Legal Aid, which sets out the Government's plan for legal aid reform in England and Wales.

Benefits/Pensions (Payment Methods)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer given on 20 June 2005, Official Report, column 707W, on benefits/pensions (payments methods), in what format information is available on the number of complaints that have been received regarding the introduction of direct payment for the payment of pensions and benefits.

James Plaskitt: No record is held on the number of complaints received specifically about the introduction of direct payment.
	Data collected by the Pension Service, Disability and Carer's Service and the Jobcentre Plus Chief Executive's Office shows that between April 2004 and March 2005 around 2,500 letters were classified as being wholly or mainly about direct payment issues. But these could have been about a number of issues related to direct payment, including straightforward requests for information. They were not necessarily complaints.
	In addition, Ministers received around 1,500 letters on the subject of direct payment over the same period. Again these letters could have covered any aspect of direct payment and were not necessarily complaints.
	97 per cent. of customers are now paid by direct payment and 93 per cent. have said that they are happy receiving their payments this way. To put the number of possible complaints into context, over 15 million customers are paid by direct payment and between April 2004 and March 2005 DWP made over 455 million payments into customer's accounts.

EU Human Rights Obligations

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether there is a common definition of torture for the purpose of compliance with the human rights obligations of EU member states.

Ian Pearson: All EU member states are parties to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Article 1 of the convention sets out an internationally agreed definition of acts that constitute torture, stating that:
	the term torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.

EU Human Rights Obligations

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what obligations EU member states are under to investigate allegations of torture.

Ian Pearson: All EU member states are parties to the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Article 12 of the convention states that:
	each State Party shall ensure that its competent authorities proceed to a prompt and impartial investigation, wherever there is reasonable ground to believe that an act of torture has been committed in any territory under its jurisdiction.
	EU member states also have similar obligations by reason of their being parties to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Digestive Conditions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) completed consultant episodes and (b) deaths relating to digestive conditions and diseases there have been in each year since 1997, broken down by gender.

Liam Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		Count of finished admission episodes for selected diagnoses (based on ICD-10 codes)primary diagnosis-digestive conditions and diseases. national health service hospitals, England 199798 to 200304
		
			 Diagnosis grouping of digestive conditions and diseases Female Male Not known 
		
		
			 199798
			 K00-K14 Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws 96,604 72,764 1,924 
			 K20-K31 Diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum 129,042 145,394 1,118 
			 K35-K38 Diseases of appendix 16,608 19,531 206 
			 K40-K46 Hernia 44,619 99,988 486 
			 K50-K52 Non infective enteritis and colitis 51,055 42,480 577 
			 K55-K63 Other diseases of intestines 105,452 87,267 1,056 
			 K65-K67 Diseases of peritoneum 3,890 2,173 38 
			 K70-K77 Diseases of liver 7,810 10,785 63 
			 K80-K87 Disorders of gall bladder, biliary tract and pancreas 62,437 34,410 583 
			 K90-K93 Other diseases of the digestive system. 21,757 23,945 276 
			 Total 539,274 538,737 6,329 
			 
			 199899
			 K00-K14 Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws 104,361 80,455 76 
			 K20-K31 Diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum 138,348 155,011 92 
			 K35-K38 Diseases of appendix 16,169 19,656 13 
			 K40-K46 Hernia 47,613 110,809 31 
			 K50-K52 Non infective enteritis and colitis 53,980 44,120 25 
			 K55-K63 Other diseases of intestines 114,389 95,205 48 
			 K65-K67 Diseases of peritoneum 4,075 2,232 1 
			 K70-K77 Diseases of liver 8,217 11,009 24 
			 K80-K87 Disorders of gall bladder, biliary tract and pancreas 64,068 35,467 22 
			 K90-K93 Other diseases of the digestive system. 23,476 25,215 10 
			 Total 574,696 579,179 342 
			 
			 19992000
			 K00-K14 Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws 100,946 78,878 189 
			 K20-K31 Diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum 140,408 155,131 266 
			 K35-K38 Diseases of appendix 16,247 20,001 60 
			 K40-K46 Hernia 47,082 107,483 115 
			 K50-K52 No infective enteritis and colitis 57,202 46,396 132 
			 K55-K63 Other diseases of intestines 122,087 100,538 242 
			 K65-K67 Diseases of peritoneum 3,922 2,253 9 
			 K70-K77 Diseases of liver 8,370 11,550 20 
			 K80-K87 Disorders of gall bladder, biliary tract and pancreas 67,094 36,141 111 
			 K90-K93 Other diseases of the digestive system. 24,712 26,441 47 
			 Total 588,070 584,812 1,191 
			 
			 200001
			 K00-K14 Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws 96,013 77,028 181 
			 K20-K31 Diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum 137,892 151,473 173 
			 K35-K38 Diseases of appendix 16,799 20,628 34 
			 K40-K46 Hernia 48,124 109,565 210 
			 K50-K52 No infective enteritis and colitis 58,473 46,975 273 
			 K55-K63 Other diseases of intestines 125,202 103,438 279 
			 K65-K67 Diseases of peritoneum 4,166 2,384 9 
			 K70-K77 Diseases of liver 8,689 11,825 31 
			 K80-K87 Disorders of gall bladder, biliary tract and pancreas 71,811 38,170 42 
			 K90-K93 Other diseases of the digestive system. 24,750 26,782 36 
			 Total 591,919 588,268 1,268 
			 
			 200102
			 K00-K14 Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws 93,393 76,893 190 
			 K20-K31 Diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum 131,380 141,036 303 
			 K35-K38 Diseases of appendix 15,754 19,617 32 
			 K40-K46 Hernia 47,273 106,413 180 
			 K50-K52 No infective enteritis and colitis 59,254 47,700 201 
			 K55-K63 Other diseases of intestines 119,458 100,099 263 
			 K65-K67 Diseases of peritoneum 4,087 2,395 10 
			 K70-K77 Diseases of liver 8,840 12,339 12 
			 K80-K87 Disorders of gall bladder, biliary tract and pancreas 73,258 38,616 100 
			 K90-K93 Other diseases of the digestive system. 24,822 26,833 39 
			 Total 577,519 571,941 1,330 
			 
			 200203
			 K00-K14 Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws 93,698 76,489 46 
			 K20-K31 Diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum 129,021 138,630 22 
			 K35-K38 Diseases of appendix 15,799 19,851 5 
			 K40-K46 Hernia 47,077 109,781 13 
			 K50-K52 No infective enteritis and colitis 63,130 50,681 9 
			 K55-K63 Other diseases of intestines 120,665 102,297 17 
			 K65-K67 Diseases of peritoneum 4,043 2,430 1 
			 K70-K77 Diseases of liver 9,050 12,806 5 
			 K80-K87 Disorders of gall bladder, biliary tract and pancreas 76,394 39,785 2 
			 K90-K93 Other diseases of the digestive system. 24,726 26,984 6 
			 Total 583,603 579,734 126 
			 
			 200304
			 K00-K14 Diseases of oral cavity, salivary glands and jaws 94,478 77,583 48 
			 K20-K31 Diseases of oesophagus, stomach and duodenum 126,202 133,943 30 
			 K35-K38 Diseases of appendix 16,467 19,995 2 
			 K40-K46 Hernia 46,526 111,920 12 
			 K50-K52 No infective enteritis and colitis 65,417 51,607 12 
			 K55-K63 Other diseases of intestines 124,667 105,118 19 
			 K65-K67 Diseases of peritoneum 4,016 2,301  
			 K700-K77 Diseases of liver 9,304 13,808 2 
			 K80-K87 Disorders of gall bladder, biliary tract and pancreas 80,244 42,072 8 
			 K90-K93 Other diseases of the digestive system. 25,354 28,334 2 
			 Total 592,675 586,681 135 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	3. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 200203 and 200304, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	4. Not knownrecords from which data compiled do not clearly indicate the sex of the patient.
	Source:
	HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre.
	
		Number of deaths from diseases of the digestive system(33)England and Wales, 19972003(34)
		
			  Male Female 
		
		
			 1997 6,849 8,303 
			 1998 7,147 8,267 
			 1999 7,385 8,437 
			 2000 7,429 8,618 
			 2001(35) 8,040 9,479 
			 2002(35) 8,320 9,520 
			 2003(35) 8.447 9.750 
		
	
	(33) Defined using the International Classification of Diseases Ninth Revision codes 520579 for 19972000 and the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision codes KOO-K93 for 2001 to 2003.
	(34) Data is for deaths occurring in each calendar year.
	(35) Data for 2001 onwards may not be directly comparable to that for earlier years due to the introduction of ICD-10 for mortality coding (see: Office for National Statistics (2002) Report: Results of the ICD-10 Bridgecoding study, England and Wales 1999. Health Statistics Quarterly 14, 7583.)

Domiciliary Care

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  under what circumstances a local authority can refuse to disregard housing costs and council tax when calculating charges for domiciliary care;
	(2)  whether local authorities in England are required to disregard housing costs and council tax when calculating charges for domiciliary care.

Liam Byrne: The Department issued guidance Fairer Charging for Home Care and other non-residential Social Services to all local councils in November 2001, revised in September 2003. It stated that where councils charge for domiciliary care services they should take into account the income of the service user. Paragraph 80vii of the guidance explains that income should be assessed net of housing costs and council tax.
	The guidance was issued under section seven of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970. In the case Regina v. Islington London borough council ex parte Rixon (1998), the Court took the view that councils must follow such guidance unless they had a good reason not to.

Healthy Start Initiative

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Healthy Start initiative will be implemented; and what provision has been made for additional training on nutrition and practical healthy eating on a low income to health visitors and midwives before the scheme starts.

Caroline Flint: The Healthy Start scheme, which will replace the current welfare food scheme, will be implemented in stages. Subject to parliamentary approval, phase one of Healthy Start is expected to be implemented in Devon and Cornwall in November 2005. Phase two of the scheme is expected to be implemented from mid-2006 across the rest of Great Britain.
	A training programme for health professionals will be developed prior to the implementation of Healthy Start, aimed at providing health professionals with the information they need to support and promote the new scheme. The training will be set in the context of wider public health issues and will take into account the nutritional needs of families on low-income.

Mental Health

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she intends to take to address the shortfall of funding for the Yorkshire Mental Health Trusts identified by the Commission for Health Improvement.

Liam Byrne: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning health services to meet the needs of their local population, including mental health services. In the current financial year, PCTs across Yorkshire and Humberside received resource revenue allocations totalling 5.5 billion. This will increase to 7.1 billion in 200708.

MMR Vaccinations

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department's guidance restricts the use of MMR vaccinations for 15 to 24-year-olds; and what provision has been made for those in this age group who have not previously had a full course of MMR vaccine and are either (a) moving to an area of the country where relevant infections have occurred on a significant scale and (b) advised to be vaccinated before enrolling at university or working in residential accommodation.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 7 July 2005
	The Department continues to advise that all children receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine as part of the routine childhood immunisation programme. We are also advising 15 to 24-year-olds to ensure they are properly protected against measles, mumps and rubella. This advice is the same for all parts of the county, and all within this age group.

Nurse Prescribers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to improve the education and training opportunities for nurses who are independently prescribing drugs.

Jane Kennedy: All health professionals, including nurses, have a professional responsibility to keep their skills and knowledge up-to-date. National health service organisations have a responsibility to enable this, to ensure patient safety and to provide a high quality service. Nurse prescribers take part in audit, review and continuing professional development activities, both individually and within their care teams.
	The Department funds the work of the National Prescribing Centre. The centre's aim is,
	to promote and support high quality, cost-effective prescribing and medicines management across the NHS, to help improve patient care and service delivery.
	It provides a variety of education and training opportunities to qualified non-medical prescribers.

Obesity

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the development of slimming on referral by Greater and Central Derby Primary Care Trust and Slimming World; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of this project; how many primary care trusts offer such referral schemes; and what steps she intends to take to promote trusts' awareness and adoption of such schemes.

Caroline Flint: The Government are aware of the work of Slimming World in Greater and Central Derby Primary Care Trust (PCT). The White Paper, Choosing Health, made a commitment to assess the role the independent sector, including Slimming World and how validated programmes, such as slimming on referral, can play in providing effective behaviour change programmes.

Older People (Medication)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many primary care (a) groups and (b) trusts have schemes in place enabling older people to get help from pharmacists in using their medicines;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 642W, on the National Service Framework for Older People, if she will set out for each data collection period since collection began the number and frequency of medication reviews for older people (a) in general practitioner surgeries and (b) care homes;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 642W, on the National Service Framework for Older People, which primary care trusts are taking part in the medicines management collaborative;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 642W, on the National Service Framework for Older People, how the quality of medicine reviews are measured; and if she will publish the results.

Liam Byrne: Information on the number and frequency of medication reviews for older people is not collected centrally.
	The medicines partnership and the medicines management collaborative published Room for Review 2002, which was widely disseminated and endorsed by the Department. Room for Review provides a clear definition to the national health service of a medication review. It also provides guidance on different levels of medication reviews that can be undertaken. The level of review will depend on the complexity of the patients' clinical condition. Strategic health authorities, through their performance management role, ensure that primary care trusts within their areas are providing quality services to their patients.
	146 primary care organisations, in four waves, starting in 2001, have taken part in the medicines management collaborative programme. Further details are available at www.npc.co.uk

Pain Management

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost to the economy of sickness absence as a result of pain in 200405; if she will take steps to ensure a national standard for the availability of pain management and treatment under the NHS; if she will list pain clinics; and how many patient treatment episodes for pain there were in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: It is not possible to estimate the cost to the economy because information about sickness absence as a result of pain as pain is not collected. We do not intend to develop a national standard for the availability of pain management and treatment under the national health service as the Department published Standards for Better Health in July 2004, geared to ensuring that high quality care is available to all patients, no matter what condition they are suffering from.
	Information about pain clinics is not collected centrally. Figures for patient treatment episodes for pain are not available because, pain is not coded separately in the hospital episode statistics.

Personal Care Assistance (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the baseline minimum is for people to receive assistance in financing personal care in Coventry.

Liam Byrne: Currently, people in England with less than 20,500 are entitled to financial help from social services in meeting the cost of their residential care, which will usually include personal care. People with resources of 12,500 or less do not pay for their residential care.
	Councils like Coventry, have discretionary powers to decide whether to charge for personal care provided in non-residential settings. The Department has issued statutory guidance, Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential Social Services to councils. Section VIII of the guidance advises that if charges are levied, in assessing service users' ability to pay, councils should not set resource limits lower than those for residential care. In addition, charges should not reduce the user's resources below basic levels of income support, plus a buffer of not less than 25 per cent.

Pregnancy (Smoking)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the medical effects of smoking by the pregnant woman on the health of an unborn child.

Caroline Flint: The medical effects of smoking by the mother on the health of an unborn child are set out in the national health service leaflet, S is for smoking and pregnancy. A copy is available in the Library.

Skin Cancer

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance her Department provides regarding the prevention of skin cancer caused by over-exposure to the sun;
	(2)  how much has been spent by her Department on (a) advertisements and (b) materials to educate individuals on the effects of over-exposure to the sun.

Caroline Flint: In 200304, the United Kingdom health departments provided 400,000 funding to Cancer Research UK to run the SunSmart sun awareness campaign from 200304 for an initial three year period. The campaign aims to raise awareness of skin cancer, the symptoms to look out for and the simple steps on how to prevent it. Posters and information cards have been distributed to health professionals, all general practitioners' surgeries and schools, to reach as many people as possible with the five point SunSmart message:
	Stay in the shade between 11.00 am. and 3 pm.
	Make sure you never burn
	Always cover up
	Remember to take extra care with children
	Then use factor 15+ sunscreen
	SunSmart encourages people to protect themselves in the sun, thereby reducing their risk of skin cancer. This public education approach using primary care stakeholders has been very successful in Australia, where changes in attitude towards sun exposure and symptom recognition have reduced skin cancer mortality.
	The SunSmart campaign works primarily through the distribution of materials, public relations and strategy development, underpinned by research to provide an evidence base.
	As Cancer Research UK does not use paid advertising in newsletters or papers as a primary communication tool, costs reflect activities such as promotional merchandise, web presence, sun awareness week activities, purchasing of distribution opportunities and conference presence. Estimates of the value of the coverage and reach generated by the campaign in 2004 are as follows:
	Number of articles generated: 932
	This is an increase of 485 articlesmore than double that generated in 2003
	76 per cent. of all United Kingdom adults were reached
	The advertising equivalent rate is 6, 687,296
	494 million people with an opportunity to see
	Reach stayed the same as 2003 at 76 per cent.
	Frequency of message increased from 10.4 to 13.9 per adult
	Note:
	The above does not include reach of free resource materials, but to print and radio coverage at nil cost.
	Costs of materials include components for their development and design, printing, storage and distribution. Other costs relate to staff, including on costs, are shown in the table.
	
		
			  
			  Total contract Staff costs Advertising and promotion Materials 
		
		
			 200304 110,000 26,000 14,500 61,000 
			 200405 170,000 45,000 37,000 88,000 
			 200506 175,000 48500 39,500 87,000 
			 200607 180,000 Unbudgeted at this stage

Smoking

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will include in her consultation on the elements of forthcoming health improvement legislation relating to restrictions on smoking the option of designated smoking rooms in workplaces, including licensed premises;
	(2)  if she will include in her consultation on elements of forthcoming health improvement legislation relating to restrictions on smoking the designation of well-ventilated smoking rooms which are separated from both bar and eating areas.

Caroline Flint: The Government's proposals were set out in the White Paper, Choosing Health, in November 2004 for legislation for the vast majority of enclosed public places and workplaces to be smokefree.
	Consultation on these proposals began on 20 June, when the consultation paper, Smokefree elements of the Health Improvement and Protection Bill, was published. A copy is available in the Library.